WORCESTER 
With his team trailing at halftime, 20-7, Valley Tech coach Jim Archibald didn't feel the need to make a major adjustment in the second half.

And his patience paid off.

Taylor Hanson and Ben Reiffarth each ran for two scores as the Beavers rallied for a 27-20 victory over Assabet Valley Regional in a Division 6 semifinal last night at Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium.

The top-seeded Beavers (11-1) will face the one team that beat them this season, second-seeded Bay Path Regional, in the Super Bowl at 1 p.m. Saturday at Worcester State University

“We didn't show up to play in the first half,” Archibald said. “It was discouraging, it was frustrating, and we gave them quite a tongue-lashing at halftime. We told them we weren't making any adjustments, they had to dig down, it was-gut check time.”

Hanson, a senior, scored on a 77-yard run with 7:37 remaining to tie the game at 20. After a missed extra point, the Beavers forced an Aztecs turnover on downs.

“I knew when I broke free, I had the score,” Hanson said. “That was the difference in the game; I had to do it for my team. We knew we had to buckle down. We really wanted to make the Super Bowl.”

Reiffarth's score from 13 yards proved to be the clincher, making it 27-20 after Bailey Leacy's extra point with 5:14 to play.

The fourth-seeded Aztecs (7-5) looked well on their way to a Super Bowl appearance after a dominating first half by senior running back Paul Harpin. Over the first two quarters, he rushed 18 times for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

But the second half was a different story. Harpin only managed 31 yards, giving him 279 on the night.

“Paul's a gamer, he had 1,500 yards this season,” Assabet coach Rob McCann said. “He did it behind a very young line. He worked hard behind them all night, and it came to fruition in the first, but he just couldn't keep it going in the second half.”

Shutting down Harpin after intermission proved to be the difference for the Beavers.

“We were a totally different team in the second half,” Archibald said. “We told them to control the line of scrimmage and let's swarm to the football as a unit. Paul is a great running back — he's big and tough, as he showed in the first half.”

Harpin gave Assabet a 6-0 lead on a 56-yard touchdown run just 1:43 into the game. Valley Tech responded with a 3-yard plunge by Hanson. Leacy's extra point made it 7-6 for the Beavers.

Assabet took the lead after Harpin scored from 39 yards on the ensuing possession and followed with the conversion rush.

The Beavers went three-and-out quickly, and Assabet embarked on a 17-play, 86-yard drive that consumed 11 minutes. Harpin's score from 3 yards put Assabet up by 13 at halftime.

Valley Tech cut the deficit to 20-14 when Reiffarth scored from 16 yards late in the third. With the defense fired up, Assabet couldn't move the ball and was forced to punt.

Then came Hanson's score, and the game was tied.

“We came back to the running game a little bit in the second half,” Archibald said. “We were able to hit on some big ones. I can't say enough about Taylor and our offensive line. We don't have a lot of seniors, but the guys we do have have experience. We are a resilient group.”

Assabet could have taken an even bigger lead at halftime, but turned the ball over on downs inside the Valley Tech 20.

“In the second half, we just kind of ran out of gas,” McCann said. “That touchdown at the end of the half we didn't get was a big one — their fastest kid happened to be faster than our fastest kid.”